Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an implement for collecting pet manure, the implement having a plurality of adjacent, parallel members for inserting under the manure and then lifting the manure.
Previous patents disclose a variety of implements for collecting pet manure and similar refuse. A number of these earlier patents employ finger-like members to retrieve the manure, for example U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,536 to Barr; No. 4,143,899 to Wetherall and No. 3,879,079 to Nicholas. Nicholas discloses a solid waste collector and container which has a scoop and integral container with a hinged lid cooperating with the container. West German Pat. No. 2,306,593 discloses a refuse container having a sliding door which is actuated from the handle. U.S. Pat. No. 3,942,831 to Sosnove and No. 4,005,892 to Williams both show waste collectors with hinged scoops which can be swung relative to a handle. U.S. Pat. No. 2,579,536 to Barr and No. 3,617,084 to Mares both disclose handles fitted with dual-hinged curved tongs or clamshell-type pickers.
Despite the prior art, the need still remains for an improved implement for collecting pet manure and similar refuse which is extremely susceptible to disintegration and spreading. To accomplish this, such an improved implement should be capable of being inserted under the manure without disturbing it and then lifting it so that it can be directed into a scoop or the like in a relatively undisturbed state. Trying to insert a normal scoop, even with finger-like members on the forward edge, frequently causes the manure to be broken up or spread on the ground, in which state it is very difficult to recover.